The air helmet allows me to do things otherwise impossible,
like woodworking, soldering, or other toxic repairs with my
portable blower as an air source. In my shop, it is plumbed with
galvenized steel ducts and places to plug in overhead. I get 100%
fresh air blowing in my face. It is quite pleasant.

I ordered the blower from Graingers, a large wholesale
supplier to contractors and businesses here in the states.
A heating or plumbing contractor there might be a source for the
blower I used.

The blower I used for the air helmet is Grainger part no.
4C441, $40.00 each on page 3631 of catalog 390, 1999-2000.

It generates 23 CFM at 0.5" of static pressure, with a
cutoff static pressure of 0.60.

The closest to my helmet is the breatheasy 1, which (yikes!)
lists for $289.

The ducting is washed galvenized steel, the flexible portion
is a barrier cloth covered slinky.

House Paint Pitfalls and Test

There
are reports of several MCS/EIs who could never use their new
custom "safe" homes because of using natural paint
products. Natural oils are often outgas for a long, long time.
The most natural of finishes is shellac. It is a bug
"goo" dissolved in alcohol. Many MCS/EIs don't tolerate
that, either.

There
is no substitute for testing a large, 32 ssquare foot, area of
the finish you'd like to use. Period.

There
is a good report on AFM semigloss interior paint, with no oil
based tint. It was tested by an MCS/EI for odor after just a few
months and seemed very good. The AFM primer was not used, just
another coat. The homeowners said the primer did not test well.
(For them)

Ozone and Germicidal Generators

General
Information

"Oxides"
and "-dioxides" of nitrogen, sulphur, and carbon, and a
myriad of other things, plus nanoparticles of tires, tar, etc.and
ozone in the stratosphere and beyond is essential for healthy
life on the surface of the earth. and we are rapidly destroying
it. "Ozone" on the surface is *not* pure ozone, if you
are talking about the euphamism for photochemical smog.
"Ozone" is then a euphamism for filth and harmful air
pollution.

That
brings us to ozone in the house.

1.
Clean air, if there is such a thing remaining anywhere, is
produced by trees, rainfall, etc. It contains oxygen and other
molecules, including a small proportion of ozone. The ozone in
clean air is what keeps or helps to keep it clean. When you air
out your place with clean air, you get some clean ozone with it.

2.
That brings us to ozone machines. They are no more all alike than
a stripped down, bottom of the line automobile is the same as a
Corvair. A car is not a car, and an ozone machine is not an ozone
machine.

3.
The best functioning ozone machine, such as the one I have, can
run on a sensor, which keeps the level of ozone identical with
that of clean air in a forest after a good rain. With the sensor
off, it produces unregulated ozone and begins to smell a little
like chlorine laundry bleach after a while in a clean room.

4.
If there is pollution in the home, such as what I got yesterday
when the apartment above me got new carpet (glue) and paint
(fumes) which seeped into my place, then running ozone results in
the volatile compounds being broken down -- and while this
process is happening, the air is worse perhaps than if nothing at
all was done. This is theoretical, but my experience supports it,
too. In due course, the toxic chemicals will be broken down
further into their components and be harmless or mostly so. It's
not a good idea to breathe the stuff during the process if you
can help it. For me, it is sufficient to open the all the windows
periodically to let the outside air blow through enough to clear
the place.

(Editor's
Note: For the immune suppressed and
ultra-sensitive, it is best to leave the area when chemicals are
applied in close proximity.)

5.
If there is no serious pollution in the home, running the ozone
machine on sensor does not pose a problem. In fact, when air is
good in the home, the ozone machine with a working sensor does
*not* produce ozone. Sometimes, I don't think mine is even
working, unless I take it off sensor. Then I can smell ozone.

6.
An overabundance of positive oxygen ions in an area can result in
some people feeling depressed. Outdoor air pollution tends to
have a superabundance of these ions, so ozone is another
euphamism for pollution -- positive ions -- which can result in
depression.

7.
I believe, though am not certain, that air cleaners and
other machines with fans (and computers have fans, too) produce
positive ions. A certain proportion (I don't know what) is okay
or even desired, but not an overabundance.

8.
Negative ions, on the other hand, have a positive effect on many
people. They also help to precipitate pollution out of the air.

9.
My ozone generator also produces negative and positive ions.

I
wouldn't be without my ozone machine. It's probably saved my
life, seriously, when I was being bombarded daily with
herbicides, pesticides, lawn chemicals, and perfumes. My place
was dangerously toxic every day and by nightfall it was usually
safe because of my ozone machine. I couldn't always air the place
out because of the onslaught of perfume or pesticides outside my
windows. Even with the ozone, I began to die. About 4 of my
neighbors who did *not* have MCS were stricken ill and died
during or right after the period in question. (I got out.)

Now
about lungs. I have heard, although I have no evidence of my own
experience to support this, that pure ozone in larger than normal
amounts in the indoor air destroys sick lung tissue. That is, a
person may experience some problem with lungs using quantities of
ozone. Pets too may be affected. I have heard a few people say
that they get sick from ozone.

I
am very grateful that I have an ozone machine. I also use a 3
stage air filter for dust, gasses, etc. It's got the outer carbon
filter, and an inner HEPA filter. It's nothing fancy, but it
works well enough for my purposes. The last replacement, HEPA
filter I bought smelled from chemicals but after a day or two,
the smell was gone.

After you find a car, an ozone machine can be a life
saver. First, it might be best to borrow an ozone machine
and test whether or not you can tolerate it. Ozone gas,
which breaks down quickly, goes into areas that you can't
reach. It is best to get the bulk of the chemicals out
with soap and water first. For example,
if you ozone with perfume residues on the seats or the
steering wheel without washing it first, the ozone will
break it up and spread it into the air.

Ultraviolet ozone lamps do not create a
nitrous oxide by product like the corona discharge or arc system
machines. For me, the ultraviolet lamps are preferable. The
following company makes the ozone lamps, transformers and wire
harnesses that you need. Because they are designed for industrial
use, you need to make your own protective box or housing around
it.

I have used these lamps to breakdown chemicals for years.
They produce ozone, but not as much as the preceeding
type. Just double the amount of time as decribed below,
in "Decontamination recommendations."

Protect your lamp.
I used a strong wire mesh to make a tube around it, so
that the lamp is suspended in the center, with about a 2
or 3 inch margin on all sides. I wired it shut. Then, I
used a couple hose clamps to fit (gently) around the tube
and wired them to the wire mesh casing. I also wrapped a
small piece of Kleenex between the lamp and the hose
clamp as a cushion to keep the metal clamp from
scratching the glass tube. In my experience, the lamp
does not get hot enough to create a fire hazard.

Careful
handling of lamp: It is important not to drop the lamp
or set heavy objects on it. If it is cracked, there is mercury
inside the lamp that can leak out. If the lamp has been dropped,
go outdoors and check carefully for cracks. If it is cracked,
dispose of immediately in garbage bag.

Ozone Caution:
Protect eyes and lungs.Do not look directly
into the lamp for an extended period of time, as it can
cause damage to the eye. Do not stay in the room or
vehicle while the lamp is running, as it irritates the
lungs.

Ozone
deteriorates rubber. If you have a tape deck that has
rubber belt parts, protect the tape deck from the ozone. Ozone
deteriorates the tiny rubber belts.

Decontamination
recommendations: The ozone lamp generates a
generous amount of ozone and does an excellent job breaking down
residues. Two to four hours of ozoning is best to start with and
good for light contaminations. Overnight ozoning is adequate for
heavy contaminations. Wait a day or 2 for all the gasses to
escape to evaluate the effectivness of the ozone treatment.
Repeat if necessary.

For germicidal lamps,
it may be necessary to double the amount of ozoning time.

If your vehicle has
been sprayed directly with pesticide or herbicide spray,
(hopfully with the windows upand air vents closed) take it to a
drive-through car wash before ozoning. If windows were down, it
is best to wash the whole interior thoroughly before ozoning. For
the extremely sensitive, discard wash water outside, where there
will be no foot traffic or rainwater runoff into foottraffic
areas.

To clean the
air system: Put ozone generator inside the vehicle in
the front. Turn the lamp on with vehicle's motor running and air
conditioning system on for about 15 to 30 minutes. Check after
airing out the car or take a short drive with the air
conditioning on. Repeat if necessary. This breaks down mold and
chemicals within the air system. There was one report of ozone
damaging the air conditioning system in a Ford. Possibly because
of deterioration of rubber parts. I have never had this
experience. I have used it sucessfully on the air systems in a
Mitsubishi and Chevrolet.

Please
note:To minimize
contamination of air ducts while driving, turn fan off before
driving through chemical spray. I do this whenever I see slow
moving, tanker trucks on the roadside.